WATCH: Donald Trump Tells Reporters: ‘I Think Any Jewish People That Vote for a Democrat…It Shows Either a Total Lack of Knowledge or a Great Disloyalty’

MSNBC

Hours after tweeting that Muslim Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) “hates Israel and all Jewish people,” President Donald Trump told reporters that any Jewish person who votes for a Democrat is either dumb or disloyal.

Ironically enough, his comments came as he was decrying the so-called anti-Semitism of the Democratic party.

“Where has the Democratic party gone? Where have they gone that they’re defending [Tlaib and Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar] over the state of Israel,” Trump said.

He continued:

“And I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.”

Watch below:

Israel recently banned Tlaib and Omar from entering the country ahead of a planned state visit after the two criticized the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians. Trump praised Israel’s decision in a tweet, saying it would “show great weakness” if the government permitted their visits.

Trump’s accusations of anti-Semitism come just over a year after his white nationalist supporters marched through Charlottesville, Virginia with torches, shouting “Jews will not replace us.”

Many Jewish people made it clear who they believed to be the true anti-Semite.

In fact, by calling Jews who vote for Democrats disloyal, Trump perpetuated the trope that American Jews have a “dual loyalty” to Israel. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was widely criticized for this when she implied that American Jews supportive of Israel could have “allegiance to a foreign country.” It’s unclear as of now if Trump will feel compelled to apologize, as Omar did.

When it comes to dual loyalty, some are noticing a double standard.

Seventy-one percent of Jewish people voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Nearly 80% voted Democrat in the 2018 midterms. —Listen to the first episode of George Takei’s podcast, ‘Oh Myyy Pod!’, where we explore the racially charged videos that have taken the internet by storm. Be sure to subscribe here and never miss an episode.

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Evan Brechtel

Evan is a writer and editor based in New York. In addition to his work with Second Nexus, he freelances for a variety of sites addressing topics of queer culture and history. You can find his other work at www.evanbrechtel.net. Twitter: @EvanBrechtel